Abstract

Summary

Adult and adolescent Dirofilaria tenuis Chandler, 1942, from subcutaneous tissues of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Florida and Louisiana were described in detail and compared with 26 worms earlier identified as Dirofilaria conjunctivae (Addario, 1885) from subcutaneous tissues of man, mainly in Florida and other Southeastern States. Other subcutaneous Dirofilaria species from North American mammals were similarly studied. It was found that with the exception of D. tenuis, all of the species of Dirofilaria found in animals in southeastern United States can be distinguished from the D. conjunctivae reported from the same area. It is concluded that D. tenuis apparently is the Dirofilaria species most frequently found in the subcutaneous tissues of man in this country, although one other species (unidentified) has been reported and the discovery of still others can be anticipated.